The calculator allows users to compare emissions associated with various fuels used to dry aggregate, plus fuels used by facility equipment, including vehicles. A final category addresses CO₂e attributed to electrical use. The calculator also includes emission offset credits for fuels and activities that reduce the amount of CO₂e released or that sequester CO₂. Credits are calculated for plant-based bio-fuels, recycled fuel oil, and recycled raw materials, such as reclaimed asphalt pavement and recycled asphalt shingles. Credits are also calculated for reducing mix temperatures using warm-mix asphalt technologies.

Western Star began taking Model 4700 orders last August and model production began in December. Jackson notes that the new tractor features several fifth wheel options, which he says provides the ideal solution for bulk haul, local delivery and construction applications.

“The response from our vocational customers has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re excited to expand our offering to new markets and customers that have been eager to experience the quality and customization of a Western Star,” Guy Lemieux, marketing segment manager, Western Star, told reporters at a press event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in early May.

Available in a set-forward and set-back day cab configuration, the 4700 tractor incorporates a high visibility hood, and a wide variety of fifth wheel and wheelbase selections. Jackson says the new 4700 tractor also features one of the broadest power range offerings in a single truck model, including the lightweight and economical Cummins ISC and ISL engines, to the powerful and efficient Detroit  DD13, the 4700 features power ratings from 260 hp to 470 horsepower.  These engine options are combined with several transmission offerings including the Allison automatic, Eaton manual, and Eaton UltraShift  PLUS, which Jackson says allows the 4700 tractor to  be spec’d perfectly for many regional and bulk haul applications. In addition to the new tractor, Western Star also announced several new options for the 4700 product line.

These include the following:

*Hendrickson and Watson Chalin lift axles: Several new lift axle solutions from
Hendrickson and Watson Chalin increase the customization options for
vocational applications. The benefits include varying weight savings, SPIF
compliance, optimized packaging and added durability, to name a few.

*New roof fairings and side extenders: The addition of roof fairing and side
extenders help to improve aerodynamic performance and maximize fuel
efficiency.

*Chalmers Suspension: The durability of the Chalmers rubber spring suspension
offers increased stability and traction for off-road applications, and lower
maintenance costs on suspensions and other components such as tires.

The 4700 tractor and additional product updates are now available to order.

Chicago Pneumatic’s

The breakers work from the auxiliary output of most skid steers when used in conjunction with an oil flow divider. The oil flow divider is necessary to ensure that the correct oil flow and pressure is sent to the breaker at all times. Able to accept up to 515 psi (35 bar) of back pressure, their high pressure tolerance also permits the use of much longer hoses on job sites where space and access can be an issue.

The BRK 55 HBP is a medium weight, multi-purpose breaker, which can be adjusted to work with both 8 gpm and 5 gpm power packs. The BRK 70 HBP breakers are ideal for heavier demolition jobs and are suitable for use on tough materials such as asphalt, frozen soil, and reinforced concrete. The BRK 95 super-duty hydraulic breaker falls in the 100-foot-pound impact power class and is powerful enough to replace a small excavator with a breaker attachment in certain situations.

RoadSafe Traffic Systems crews are beginning work on roadway marking projects on more than 3,600 lane miles of Tennessee highways to improve visibility for motorists.

“We’re very pleased to be part of Tennessee’s pavement marking program to keep roads safe,” said Kathleen Holst, senior vice president of RoadSafe Traffic Systems, “RoadSafe started operations in Tennessee less than three years ago, and expansion into this market has been very positive for us.”

Under contracts awarded in March by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), more than 2,300 lane miles in TDOT’s Region 1 in Eastern Tennessee will be restriped with a combination of 4”, 6” and 8” wide thermoplastic markings.

In Region 2 in East Central Tennessee, more than 1,300 lane miles of 6-inch-wide thermoplastic markings will be applied. These are performance-based contracts, meaning that RoadSafe crews will need to ensure that the application process, which utilizes state-of-the-art technology, meets State requirements for brightness and thickness in order to sustain reflectivity of the markings. The jobs are scheduled to start up this month and be completed by September.

RoadSafe will also be working with the State on maintenance contracts for pavement markings in all four regions of the state. These contracts are in place for emergency or “call-out” purposes to repair markings that are deemed insufficient by TDOT or are in areas of high motorist risk where markings need to be refreshed or upgraded. RoadSafe must be prepared to respond within 48 hours with the proper marking and equipment to service TDOT’s directive. These projects run through June 2013.

Private nonresidential construction spending decreased 1.6 percent for the month, but is up 14.5 percent year over year. Public nonresidential construction spending fell 1.7 percent for the month and is down 0.7 percent compared to February 2011.

Twelve of the sixteen nonresidential construction subsectors experienced decreases in spending for the month, including amusement and recreation, down 3.9 percent; lodging, 3.2 percent lower; water supply, down 2.8 percent; highway and street, down 2.7 percent; and commercial, 2.6 percent lower. Subsectors posting the largest decreases in year-over-year spending include conservation and development, down 24.6 percent; lodging, 9.4 percent lower; religious, down 9.4 percent; water supply, down 7 percent; and transportation, down 5.5 percent.

In contrast, four of the sixteen nonresidential construction subsectors posted increases for the month, including religious, up 2.7 percent; manufacturing, 2.2 percent higher; public safety, up 0.9 percent; and sewage and waste disposal, up 0.5 percent. Eight subsectors have experienced gains in spending during the past twelve months, including manufacturing, up 40.3 percent; power, 22.1 percent higher; public safety, up 11.4 percent; health care, 7.7 percent higher; and commercial, up 5 percent.

Residential construction spending was unchanged for the month and is 4.6 percent higher compared to the same time last year. Overall, total construction spending – which includes both nonresidential and residential – was down 1.1 percent in for the month, but is 5.8 percent higher than February 2011.

“The Obama Administration is committed to bringing more good transportation choices to cities like Fort Collins so that hard-working families, students and seniors have affordable access to jobs, school, medical appointments and all the city’s downtown attractions,” LaHood said in a press statement. “This MAX BRT service is an excellent investment in Fort Collins’ future economic growth and sustainability.”

The Mason Corridor is a five-mile, north-south byway from Cherry Street to south of Harmony Road. It combines the MAX BRT corridor with a bicycle and pedestrian trail. The Corridor will help create opportunities for new mixed-use and transit oriented developments that avoid sprawl and enhance sustainability and livability.  Nearly two-thirds of area jobs are located within a half-mile of the corridor, which includes Colorado State University and its veterinary teaching hospital, the federal Natural Resource Research Laboratory Headquarters, and local government offices.

“This is a great example of modern bus rapid transit done right, offering thousands of riders a convenient, efficient ride from Cherry Street on the North end to the new South Transit Center,” said Administrator Rogoff. “It’s a reliable and desirable way to travel—and helps people keep more money in their wallets instead of paying it at the gas pump.”

The BRT is also expected to help revitalize the downtown shopping district by improving access to the area. To that end, a new university student housing center and a third new apartment building are under construction, and developers are purchasing land along the Corridor for future commercial and residential projects.

In addition to the agreement signed today, the Federal Transit Administration is also making almost $3.9 million available for the project through its Bus and Bus Facilities grant program. These funds supplement about $11 million awarded in FY2010 for project planning and related work, bringing the total federal commitment to about $69.4 million, or roughly 80 percent of the total project. The City of Fort Collins, the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State University, and the Downtown Development Authority are contributing the remaining funds toward the $87 million BRT project

“Dubuque has overhauled the Historic Millwork District into a livable, walkable community that is attracting businesses and residents alike,” said LaHood in a press release. “This kind of smart transportation planning creates jobs, accommodates all road users – cars, transit, bicycles and pedestrians – and improves public safety.”

The city estimates that due to the design and location, 60 percent of the new residents within the Historic Millwork District will work downtown. The U.S. Department of Transportation provided a $5.6 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant to help the city provide more transportation options and reconstruct the street networks to better serve a broad range of users, including drivers, public transportation, pedestrians, bicyclists, seniors, children and people with disabilities.

“By investing in this revitalization, the city of Dubuque created jobs, provided accessible and varied transportation options for residents and visitors and strengthened the local economy,” said Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez. “Dubuque residents will now have a more connected community in which to work and live.”

The Historic Millwork District was redeveloped from old factories and mills, dormant since the early part of the 20th century, into a new mixed-use development incorporating housing, workplaces and entertainment. The TIGER program was designed to promote innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, region or the nation.

In a press release, the associations together note that recognizing the profound positive impact these needed reforms will have on small and large employers, and the positive benefits it will have to shore up Illinois’ ability to continue to maintain and build its infrastructure, the Illinois infrastructure community urges lawmakers to pass true pension and Medicaid stabilization packages this spring session.

“We strongly support tackling the structural financial problems in the State of Illinois,” said Michael Sturino, president and CEO of the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association, in a press release. “The construction industry is confident that the General Assembly will work together with the Governor to ensure that Illinois keeps moving and that transportation jobs are protected.”

According to Quinn, Medicaid and pensions now account for 39 percent of state general revenue spending. This places tremendous pressures upon the rest of the budget. Ratings agencies have repeatedly cited continued inaction on Medicaid and pension reform as potential reasons to downgrade Illinois’ bond rating, which could effectively halt critical capital improvements and road safety projects. If Illinois is expected to maintain a sound bond rating and the ability to maintain the integrity of its roads, bridges, transit, ports, and airports, a real solution to pensions and Medicaid is needed now, the associations purport.

“Some of these burdensome deadlines would have cost communities millions of dollars at a time when they can’t afford that,” said LaHood in a May 10 written press statement. “We spoke to state and local officials across the country, and we heard them loud and clear.”

Earlier this year, President Obama called for a government-wide review of regulations in order to identify those that needed to be changed or removed because they were unnecessary, out-of-date, excessively burdensome or overly costly.

“Officials at the state and local levels are in the best position to make decisions related to sign replacement and other issues related to traffic management,” said Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez in a press release. “These changes will give them the flexibility they need to make the best use of taxpayer dollars.”

The regulations establishing deadlines for street sign replacement came from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is a compilation of national standards for all pavement markings, street signs and traffic signals. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which has published the manual since 1971, updates it periodically to accommodate changing transportation needs and address new safety technologies, traffic control tools, and traffic management techniques.

Last August, FHWA issued a Notice of Proposed Amendments to eliminate the 46 deadlines, and a final rule has been sent to the Federal Register for publication. The final rule is available in the docket, FHWA-2010-0159, available at http://www.regulations.gov.

The deadlines requiring that certain street name signs be replaced by 2018 to meet minimum retroreflectivity standards and requiring larger lettering on those street name signs are among the deadlines that will be eliminated. The final rule also eliminates deadlines for increasing the size of various traffic signs, such as ‘Pass With Care’ and ‘Low Clearance.’ Instead, communities will be able to replace and upgrade these signs when they reach the end of their useful life.

In addition to eliminating the deadlines, FHWA will allow communities to retain historic street-name signs in historic districts.

The DOT has retained 12 deadlines for sign upgrades that are critical to public safety. These safety-critical sign upgrades include installing ONE WAY signs at intersections with divided highways or one-way streets and requiring STOP or YIELD signs to be added at all railroad crossings that don’t have train-activated automatic gates or flashing lights.

Remote Diagnostics, standard on all Volvo-powered VN model highway trucks, provides a connected system of vehicle management tools to help maximize vehicle uptime.

Remote Diagnostics, which helps diagnose vehicle problems before they occur, provides service case communication and documentation among Volvo Action Service, dealers and customers through ASIST, Volvo’s web-based service management tool, which comes is free for two years with the purchase of all new Volvo trucks.

Click here to view a video about Volvo’s Remote Diagnostics.

For nearly a year, Volvo field-tested Remote Diagnostics with motor carriers in the U.S. and Canada, drawing on the feedback from 15 unique customers operating more than 1,300 Volvo VNs with the service.

“With Volvo’s Remote Diagnostics, I know the vehicle’s issue before it arrives at our terminal, so I can ensure the parts and mechanics are prepared to get the vehicle back on the road, delivering freight on time to our customers,” said Joseph Egan, Sr., director of maintenance at Abilene Motor Express, based in Richmond, Va., which has long-haul, LTL and regional freight operations.

Bryan Burningham, director of maintenance at Challenger Motor Freight, also notes in a press release from Volvo: “The Remote Diagnostics service has really helped with vehicle uptime,” said  “It’s much easier to manage events with the service communication tool because it provides a very good data trail so we know what we’re working on, what we’ve done and when we expect it will be done.” Cambridge, Ontario-based Challenger is a predominantly long-haul fleet operating in Canada and the United States.

Remote Diagnostics is the first service being offered under the new Connected Vehicle Services category of the Volvo Trucks Support Services bundled aftermarket offering. Previously launched categories include the following:

Service Management
Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, Volvo Trucks offers ASIST at no charge with all new truck purchases. ASIST lets customers receive electronic estimates, approve repairs and issue a purchase order, regardless of the vehicle’s location. The online tool allows the customer to monitor vehicle status online, communicate directly with the dealer and maintain an electronic “file cabinet” of service activities.  Consolidating all maintenance events and communication in one powerful web-based tool also eliminates invoice and repair surprises.

Parts Purchasing
Volvo customers can order parts online through their local dealer. The online portal provides 24/7 access to parts availability and pricing from the local Volvo dealer. Customers can also receive nationwide credit access at all Volvo Trucks dealer locations in the U.S. and Canada through a charge card program.

Fleet Services
Volvo Trucks Support Services offers 24/7 roadside assistance through Volvo Action Services and full contract maintenance services and a variety of leasing and rental program options.